1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer game apparatus for displaying an image of virtual space in a display screen, and in the virtual space a plurality of characters locate.
2. Related Arts
A computer game apparatus has become popular which is used when playing a game in virtual space in which a player""s character controlled by levers operated by a player, combats an enemy character controlled by the game.
In such a game, when two characters in virtual space are located at a distance, they carry weapons, such as firearms, and try to disable or destroy each other by discharging their weapons. But when they are close each other, they engage in hand-to-hand, unarmed combat.
During a game, the back of the player""s character is displayed at the front side in the image, and the enemy character is displayed at the far side in the image. To display such an image on the screen, a point of view is set at the upper rear of the player""s character in a coordinate system of the virtual space and an image obtained when the virtual space is viewed from the point of view viewing toward the front direction of the player""s character is displayed on the screen in accordance with a predetermined coordinate transformation process.
However, when the player""s character is displayed at the front side in the image with turning the back, and the enemy character is displayed on the far side of the screen with facing the player""s character, in a combat with close distance between the two characters in the image, the two characters will overlap in the image. That is, since the player""s character is displayed at the front, the enemy character will be hidden by the player""s character and it will be difficult for the player to observe that enemy character character""s movements.
It is, therefore, one objective of the present invention to provide a computer game apparatus which can so display images that during the course of a game in virtual space a player can clearly observe the movements of an enemy character character, even when the two characters are very close.
To achieve the above objective, according to a first invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus for displaying an image of virtual space in which first and second characters locate, the image being viewed from a first point in the virtual space to a direction from the first point to a second point in the virtual space, comprising:
a first processor for obtaining positions of the first and second characters in the virtual space; and
a second processor for setting the first or second point in accordance with a distance between the positions of the first and second characters which are aligned in the direction in the virtual space.
According to a second invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the first invention, wherein when the distance between the positions of the first and second characters is less than a predetermined distance, the second processor calculates an angle of the direction with horizon in accordance with the distance, and sets the first or second point based on the angle.
According to a third invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the second invention, wherein the second processor sets the first point higher in a height direction as the distance is shorter, and sets the first point lower in the height direction as the distance is longer.
According to a fourth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the third invention, wherein, when the angle is greater than a predetermined maximum angle, the second processor sets the first point in accordance with the predetermined maximum angle.
According to a fifth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the fourth invention, the predetermined maximum angle is approximately 40 degrees.
According to a sixth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the second invention, wherein when the first character approaches the second character at a higher speed than a normal speed, and the distance between the first and second characters is less than a predetermined distance, the second processor sets the first point in accordance with an angle smaller than the angle obtained by the calculation.
According to a seventh invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the sixth invention, wherein when the speed of the first character is returned to the normal speed or the first character is halted, the second processor sets the first point in accordance with the angle obtained by the calculation.
According to an eighth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the first invention, wherein when the distance between the first and second characters is less than a predetermined distance, the second processor sets the first point as a distance between the first and second points is shortened.
According to a ninth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the eighth invention, wherein the second processor sets the first point as the distance between the first and second points is shortened in a first time period.
According to a tenth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the ninth invention, wherein when the first character approaches the second character at a higher speed than the normal speed, the second processor sets the first point as the distance between the first and second points is shortened in a second time period which is shorter than the first time period.
According to an eleventh invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the second processor sets the second point at a first height in the height direction in virtual space, the first height being the vicinity of an upper portion of the other character, and when the distance between the first and second characters is less than a predetermined distance, the second processor sets the second point at a second height higher than the first height.
According to a twelfth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the eleventh invention, wherein the second processor moves the second point from the first height to the second height in a third time period.
According to a thirteenth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the twelfth invention, wherein when the first character approaches the second character at a higher speed than the normal speed, the second processor moves the second point from the first height to the second height in a fourth time period which is shorter than the third time period.
According to a fourteenth invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus according to the eleventh invention, wherein the second processor sets the first point higher than the second point.
According to another invention of the present invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus for displaying an image of virtual space in which first and second characters locate, the image being viewed from a first point in the virtual space to a direction from the first point to a second point in the virtual space, comprising:
a first processor for obtaining movement of the first character in the virtual space; and
a second processor for setting the first and second points as the first character and a second character are aligned in the direction when the first character is moving at a predetermined speed.
For example, the second processor sets the first point along a line obtained by extending a line segment which runs between one of points constituting the first character and their vicinity and one of points constituting the second character and their vicinity toward the first character, and sets the second point along the line segment or along a line obtained by extending the line segment toward the second character.
When the first and second point are so set, both the first and the second characters are displayed on a display screen even when the first character is moved. Therefore, the second character, which is fighting with the first character manipulated by the player, is prevented from disappearing from the display screen due to the movement of the first character. This setup of the first and second point is effective especially for a virtual space display wherein the first character can move in an arbitrary three-dimensional direction and the second character tends to disappear from the display screen.
According to further another invention of the present invention, it is provided a computer game apparatus for displaying an image of virtual space in which a first character and a plurality of other characters face, the image being viewed from a first point in the virtual space to a direction from the first point to a second point in the virtual space, comprising:
first processor for obtaining positions of the first character and the other characters in the virtual space; and
second processor for setting the first and second points in accordance with relationship between the position of the first character and the position of the other characters.
In a game wherein the first character fights the other characters, the first and second point are set in accordance with relationship between the position of the first character and the position of the other characters, and the viewing direction is switched to provide a display on which the relationship between the positions can easily be understood.
The relationship between the positions is, for example, a distance between the first character and a second character, of the plurality of characters, which is closest to the first character.
When the distance between the first character and the second character in the virtual space is greater than a predetermined distance, the second processor sets the first point and the second point so that the first character and the second character are displayed aligned in the depth direction of the image, and when the distance in the virtual space is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, the second processor sets another first point and another second point so that the first and the second characters are displayed in the transverse direction on the image.
It is preferable that the first point and the second point are located higher by a predetermined height than the another first point and the another second point. In addition, when the plurality of other characters are located within the predetermined distance, it is preferable that the second processor sets the another first point so as to increase an angle of another direction from the another first point to the another second point with horizon.